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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. perch — the fish
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pop — soda
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a hat
  23. suit — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com